Auto theft tip nabs three at Clarksville junkyard

Howard County police have charged three men with auto theft following the recovery of three stolen vehicles in Clarksville, including a Bentley convertible worth $150,000.

Police received a tip Dec. 15 that stolen vehicles were being loaded into a container in the county and suspected of being prepared to be shipped overseas.

After observing three stolen vehicles being loaded into a shipping container at Ellis Wise Junkyard, in the 12000 block of Hall Shop Road, in Clarksville, police stopped a truck exiting the lot with the shipping container and a car following behind it.

Police arrested the driver of the truck and two men inside the Toyota Echo following the truck, all of whom they had observed loading the stolen vehicles.

Inside the container were a 2007 Bentley convertible stolen from Florida Dec. 15 and valued at $150,000, a 2008 Toyota Highlander stolen during an armed carjacking in Washington Dec. 13 and valued at $25,000, and a 2005 BMW 330 stolen in Maryland Dec. 13 and valued at $20,000.

The driver of the semi-truck, Nam V. Nguyen, 51, of Hyattsville, the driver of the Toyota, Edward K. Aboagye, 28, of Laurel, and the passenger in the Toyota, Sean E. Brown, 28, of Douglasville, Ga., face charges of theft of $100,000 or more and three counts of motor vehicle theft.

The men were released from the Howard County Detention Center Dec. 16, each on $7,500 unsecured bonds.

-- Jennifer Broadwater

Martin Luther King Jr. celebration set for Jan. 17

The county's 25th annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration will take place Jan. 17 at Howard Community College.

The free event will honor the life and legacy of the civil rights leader and include performances, an awards presentation for winners of a student essay and poster contest and presentation of an award to a resident who exemplifies the spirit of King's message. The theme of the event is "I Have a Dream: Justice, Equality and Peace."

The event will take place in the college's Smith Theatre, beginning with a reception at 2 p.m. and the program at 3 p.m.

Event organizers ask that attendees bring a canned food item to support the county food bank. Opportunities for volunteer work on the Jan. 18 holiday also will be advertised at the event.

Interpreter services will be provided if requested at least seven days prior to the event by calling the Department of Citizen Services at 410-313-6400 or by using Relay or 7-1-1 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

For more information, call the Office of Human Rights at 410-313-6430.

-- Jennifer Broadwater

United Way plans youth leadership effort in Howard

The United Way of Central Maryland will launch a youth leadership development program in Howard County in the coming year using a $30,000 grant from SimplexGrinnell and Tyco.

The Youth Venture program is intended to empower students to become community leaders and address needs in the community. The grant will help launch Youth Venture in Howard and Harford counties.

"We are enthusiastic to be part of the Youth Venture network," said Mark Furst, president and CEO of United Way of Central Maryland, in a statement. "This program will allow young people in the region to be part of change firsthand and to see what can happen when they achieve their full potential."

Through the program, teams of students work under adult supervision to identify and address needs in their community using $1,000 grants.

-- Jennifer Broadwater

Commission for Women taking essay submissions

The Howard County Commission for Women is holding an essay contest for students in grades six through 12.

The annual competition, held in honor of Women's History Month, will highlight women in career fields including science, arts, sports and politics.

Essays should focus on a contemporary or historical American woman who has a made a difference in a field selected by the writer.

Winners will be selected in both middle school and high school divisions.

First place winners will receive a $200 U.S. Savings Bond and will read their essays at the Women's Hall of Fame induction ceremony March 11 at Howard Community College.

Essays can be sent to women@howardcountymd.gov or mailed to the Commission for Women Student Essay Contest at 6571 Columbia Gateway Drive, Suite 300, Columbia, MD 21046.

The deadline for entries is Jan. 20.

For more information about the contest, call 410-313-6400 or go to www.howardcountymd.gov/CitizenServices/.

-- Sarah Breitenbach

Commission on Aging creates awards program

The Howard County Commission on Aging is launching a new awards program and is seeking nominations.

The Recognition Awards Program will honor outstanding efforts to promote successful aging in Howard County. The deadline for nominations is Feb. 10.

The categories for nominations include awards for individuals in civic engagement, excellence in the arts, leadership in education and outstanding youth volunteer; and awards for organizations for fostering a caregiver-friendly workplace and a benchmark award for businesses.

Nominees must live, work or do business in Howard County and must demonstrate exceptional contributions to the lives of county residents. Nominators are asked for details of how the nominee meets the award criteria and describe or list achievements specific to the award category.

For more information or to download a nomination form, go to the Office on Aging's Web site at www.howardcountyaging.org and click on the link at the bottom of the page for Commission on Aging 2010 Recognition Awards. To request a form to be delivered by mail, call 410-313-6410.

Completed forms are to be sent to Howard County Commission on Aging, 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive, Suite 200, Columbia, MD 21046, or via e-mail to coa@howardcountymd.gov.

Award winners will be recognized at an awards celebration in May.

-- Jennifer Broadwater

County VMI cadet who died on walk had heart condition

The Virginia Military Institute freshman from Howard County who died last month after a 10-mile march had an underlying heart condition, the school said in a statement last week.

The medical examiner for the Western District of Virginia has determined that Cadet John A. Evans, 19, of Highland, died as a result of cardiac arrest due to an underlying medical condition -- Idiopathic Hypertrophic Subaortic Stenosis, or IHSS -- the school said.

Evans was a 4th-Class cadet, VMI's term for freshmen, when he collapsed and died Nov. 7 after completing a 10-mile road march with other members of the freshmen class, known as "Rats." He was buried Nov. 14 near his hometown in Howard County.

IHSS is also known as hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, an inherited disease of the heart muscle that causes thickening of the heart muscle and other changes to the heart that significantly impair its function, the statement says. Although the disease is rare, IHSS is the single most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest in seemingly healthy young people.

After Evans' collapse, VMI officials said they were launching an internal review of the events surrounding his death. On Wednesday, school officials said they were "nearing completion" of that review.

-- Luke Broadwater

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